Honors Attorney Fellowship

Past Honors Attorney Fellowship Participants

"The
EPA Honors Fellowship gave me the foundation that
I needed to pursue a career in the environmental
legal field. …I
was able to work on projects with both local and national
implications. EPA gave me a broader understanding
of the environmental legal structure that I use in
a more focused manner everyday in my current position."

"EPA is an agency whose legal
practice spans across so many different sectors and
disciplines – from
dry cleaners to power plants, from public health to
economics. From the start, I was thrilled to
be in a place that challenged my imagination. And
within months, I knew I wanted to stay."

"I found that the Honors Attorney
Fellowship provided a terrific opportunity to develop
as an attorney. I
gained a great deal of substantive knowledge while
working on matters ranging from Superfund enforcement
actions to Clean Water Act regulatory matters. …I
felt that as a Fellow, I was given much more responsibility
than many of my peers in private firms, yet I could
always rely on my supervisors and colleagues when I
needed help."

"My cases - permit appeals, enforcement actions, contaminated military base cleanups, environmental justice issues, and more - are my own. My colleagues, whose experience in environmental and administrative law is deep and broad, provide as much help and support as I need. My clients are biologists and engineers dedicated to protecting the environment and public health from pollution, and my opposing counsel are usually senior partners at major law firms. This is a good way to start a legal career! "

Due to current fiscal constraints, EPA Region 1 will not be filling the Honors Attorney Fellowship position currently scheduled to open in the fall of 2013. In addition, Region 1 will not be accepting applications for the 2014 Honors Attorney Fellowship position in the fall of 2013. We remain hopeful that the Region will be able to fill the 2014 position in time for a new Honors Fellow to start work in the fall of 2014. As soon as we have the ability to recruit for the 2014 position, potentially in the winter of 2014, we will post information about the application process on this website and send materials to all the contacts we have used in past recruiting efforts.

Applicant Qualifications

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's New England Office seeks applications for its Honors Attorney Fellowship only from U.S. citizens who are:

law students at accredited law schools or joint degree programs, and

current judicial clerks recently graduated
from accredited law schools.

The Fellowship begins in September, and the Fellow is expected to commit to a two-year term. A new Fellow will be hired each year---thus two Fellows serve concurrently.

Fellowship Description

The US EPA New England Honors
Attorney Fellowship is designed for
applicants who are about to graduate from
law school or complete a judicial clerkship. Applicants must have a
strong interest in a career in environmental law
or in the public sector and academic credentials, experience, and other attributes that demonstrate a significant potential for success.

The Fellowship offers a unique opportunity
for entry-level law students or clerks to join
an office dedicated to protecting public
health and the environment in New
England. The Region offers new attorneys
significant responsibility, the opportunity to
handle a complex caseload that includes
counseling and enforcement work, and
extensive training and mentoring from
colleagues with regionally and nationally
recognized expertise.

The Region has innovative initiatives
addressing environmental justice,
brownfields redevelopment, and urban
environmental issues, as well as programs
to protect our air, water, and land.

The Region's legal offices offer a diverse, supportive, and family-friendly work environment. The salary and comprehensive benefits will ordinarily be at the GS-11 level (currently starting at $62,758) or, in exceptional circumstances, may be at the GS-12 level (currently starting at $75,222).

The U.S. EPA New England Offices of Regional Counsel and Environmental Stewardship

Attorneys
in the Offices of Regional Counsel and Environmental Stewardship
provide legal advice to the approximately 700 employees of EPA New
England, which is the regional office of the United States Environmental
Protection Agency serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The regional office works
with state, tribal, and local governments to implement
national environmental law. The Honors Attorney Fellow is a member
of the Office of Regional Counsel but will also undertake
approximately half of his/her work assignments in the Office of
Environmental Stewardship.

Examples of the type of work performed by lawyers in the Office
of Regional Counsel include counseling to EPA staff on implementing
programs under the major federal environmental statutes, advice
to states on the adequacy of state environmental laws to support
program authorization by EPA, and counseling on matters involving
ethics, civil rights, personnel, and contracts. The work requires
the interpretation of statutes and regulations in the context of
environmental policy development. The Office of Regional Counsel
employs about thirteen lawyers as well as support staff.

Lawyers in the Office of Environmental Stewardship handle civil
and criminal enforcement cases which the EPA brings against
individuals, corporations, and governmental entities. Cases may
proceed administratively or be referred to the Department of
Justice and be heard in United States District Court. Enforcement attorneys
work closely with EPA inspectors, scientists, and engineers.
The Office of Environmental Stewardship includes approximately thirty-five
attorneys, as well as inspectors and support staff.

EPA is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position
will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color,
religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability,
sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences. EPA
encourages people of color to apply.